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Parole panel lifts detainer, allows 84-year-old Charles Smith to bond out to daughter's home under conditions
Summary
The Louisiana Committee on Parole voted 2–1 to lift a detainer for Charles "Charlie" Smith and allow him to bond to his daughter’s residence with a prohibition on returning to Pointe Coupee Parish; the panel cited evidence firearms were in his truck and residence while family described his declining capacity and offered housing and supervision.
A Louisiana Committee on Parole panel voted 2–1 to lift the detainer on Charles “Charlie” Smith and allow him to bond out to his daughter’s home, but barred him from returning to Pointe Coupee Parish during supervision.
Panel chair Jerry began the hearing by asking Smith to state his name and DOC number; Smith, assisted by attorney James Manasa, pleaded not guilty to three counts alleging possession of firearms by a convicted felon. Probation and parole agent Luke Puja testified that during a March compliance check he observed ammunition in Smith’s pickup and later discovered two firearms in Smith’s sleeping area, and that sheriff’s deputies arrested Smith and charged him.
Smith’s daughter, Paige Smith, joined by Zoom and identified herself to the panel, described her father as an elderly man with declining mental capacity and told the panel the family was “prepared to rectify that” by providing housing and increased supervision. “He is 84 years old… and we will continue to support him,” Paige Smith said.
After an executive session, Chair Jerry said he would vote to lift the detainer so Smith could bond to his daughter’s address, while specifying Smith may not return to Pointe Coupee Parish during supervision. One panel member voted to hold Smith pending the outcome of criminal charges; two voted to release with the stated restriction.
The panel also noted confusion in Smith’s supervision fee records: staff said payments had been misapplied at one point, and Smith disputed the arrearage accounting.
The panel’s written order made release contingent on Smith residing with his daughter, adherence to supervision conditions and that the criminal case proceed through the courts. The panel signed off at approximately 9:05 a.m.
